“It is most amazing how much literature you can cover during the long winter evenings. We read fairy tales and legends, historical novels and biographies, and the works of the great masters of prose and poetry.”

One of the things I do love about winter is that I have time for reading, not as much as I’d like since I’m pretty busy with my day job right now. I’ve always been a bit of a bookworm, and it doesn’t get better as you get older. I have a list a mile long of new books I want to read, and yet I find myself often flipping through old favorites that live on my bookshelf. This time of year I find myself often referencing gardening books while ordering seeds and planning my summer garden.The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, the book quoted from above was one I read in December and I throughout enjoyed it and would highly recommend it. It’s a wonderful story of a thoughtful life. I also really enjoyed the The River Cottage Cookbook and the The Wild Table: Seasonal Foraged Food and Recipes both cookbook/stories. I’m now moving on to Growing a Farmer: How I Learned to Live Off the Land and a few photography books. I’m always on the lookout for great books to add to my list.

Fannie Flagg (best known for “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe”) has a new book out. It’s called “I Still Dream of You.” I’m not sure it’s your kind of book, but I do love Fannie Flagg. And most Southern writers, actually.

A book I did NOT like? Anthony Bourdain’s new one. I think it’s called “Medium Raw.” Very disappointing.kristin @ going country´s last post ..So Far

I just finished The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times by Carol Deppe. I really enjoyed it and learned a lot. She knows her stuff, especially seed saving and breed development. She lives in the Willamette Valley, so much of what she writes is based on that geography, but she makes it clear that you need to adapt what she says.

Before that I read Gardening for Life – The Biodynamic Way by Maria Thun. It’s a good introduction to biodynamic gardening. I thought it was a very easy read, although I don’t know how much I’ll be able to use. I share my garden with a bunch of engineers and scientists. If I tell them I’m using the cosmic forces to guide our gardening schedule they may send me to the funny farm.

The book I read most recently that was a fast read but will also make you cry (especially if you are a dog-lover) is ‘The Art of Racing in the Rain’ which is basically the story of a family from the point of view of a dog. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but ended up really enjoying it!

I have the problem of reading 2 or 3 books at one time. Am currently reading Killer Angels, Once a Runner, and In the Company of Crows and Ravens. Some of my favorite non-fiction books are anything by Michael Pollan, especially: Second Nature a gardener’s education, A Place of My Own, and Omnivore’s Dilemma. I have read each of those 2 or 3 times.
I also loved all the Little House books and read them to my daughters. Another favorite children’s series I stumbled upon is Betsy and Tacey. It is a lovely series and are great read aloud books for young girls. I miss reading out loud to my daughters. Have to wait for grandchildren some day.

I found an old copy of Jane Auel’s The Clan of the Cave Bear in a used book store. I was bored and started reading it about a week ago. I’m on the 4th book in the series. This is the second or third time I’ve read them and I’m finding the medicinal plants Ayla uses to be fascinating. It really makes me want to study up on medicinal herbs and plant some useful ones.

Someone I have found of late is Michael Perry…..He is a gem of a writer and not well known…”Truck, A Love Story” is wonderful. We have since read some of his others but that one is my favorite….I think:)

A fantastic book of photographs is “Egg and Nest” by Rosamund Purcell. I bought it for my mother a few years ago and while it’s not a cheap book it is beautiful for anyone appreciating nature, and heaven for a birder loving the whole 19th century naturalist aesthetic. Purcell has a few other books out that also look fantastic.Emily Jenkins´s last post ..Sheep in the Snow

I just read “Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth” which was amazing. But probably only interesting if one is planning to have a baby in the near future. I read and re-read Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books. I adore them. And I’ve just started Sharon Astyk’s “Independence Days: A Guide to Sustainable Food Storage & Preservation”. For my book club we’re about to read “Starship Troopers”.annie´s last post ..Todays Seeds Started

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but just recently moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine.